Cleavage cover

ABSTRACT

A cleavage cover includes a piece of fabric having a first side and an opposing second side. An adhesive is permanently attached to the first side of the piece of fabric to removably attach the piece of fabric to skin of a wearer to conceal cleavage.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/207,786 filed on Feb. 17, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application relates generally to women's apparel and moreparticularly to a cleavage cover that is worn to cover the visiblecleavage of a woman when an outer garment is worn.

Some clothing may expose too much of a woman's cleavage (the top area ofthe breasts), which may cause the woman to feel uncomfortable orembarrassed. Women may avoid garments that expose their cleavage or wearan additional garment, such as a camisole or t-shirt, between a bra andthe additional garment to help cover the cleavage. Wearing additionalgarments can be expensive, uncomfortable, inconvenient, have unsightlystraps, and add extra bulk to a woman's figure. Additionally, somesocial and work environments may have rules that require that thecleavage of a woman be covered. Women may also want to cover scars, suchas from breast surgery.

Some cleavage covers attach to a bra with fasteners. However, as thereare may different bra styles and sizes, and a distance between brastraps vary, different placement of the fasteners can result, creatinggaps and improper fitting.

Other cleavage covers are attached to the skin or the additional garmentby double-sided tape. These cleavage covers require the purchase ofadditional disposable items for application of the cleavage cover andrequire the woman to follow multiple steps to wear, remove and wash thecleavage cover.

Other cleavage covers can be custom made, but they are expensive andrequire a complex series of measurements of the woman to be taken priorto purchasing the cleavage cover to ensure a proper fit.

Prior cleavage covers also require the woman to apply the cleavage coverbefore getting dressed or require the woman to undress prior to removingthe cleavage cover.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A cleavage cover includes a piece of fabric having a first side and anopposing second side. An adhesive is permanently attached to the firstside of the piece of fabric to removably attach the piece of fabric toskin of a wearer to conceal cleavage.

Another exemplary embodiment of the cleavage cover includes astretchable piece of fabric having a first side, an opposing second sideand a width that extends between opposing ends. A silicone gel adhesivepermanently attached to the first side of the stretchable piece offabric removably attaches the stretchable piece of fabric to skin of awearer to conceal cleavage. An area between the silicone gel adhesiveand each of the ends of the stretchable piece of fabric are free of thesilicone gel adhesive.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be moreapparent from the following detailed description that is provided inconnection with the accompanying drawings and illustrated exemplaryembodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a front side of a cleavage cover;

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear side of the cleavage cover including anadhesive surface;

FIG. 3 illustrates the cleavage cover in an unstretched and a stretchedposition;

FIG. 4A illustrates cleavage revealed by a crew neck garment;

FIG. 4B illustrates cleavage revealed by a v-neck garment;

FIG. 4C illustrates cleavage revealed by a bra;

FIG. 5 illustrates placement of the cleavage cover on skin of a woman;

FIG. 6A illustrates the cleavage cover worn under a crew neck garment;

FIG. 6B illustrates the cleavage cover worn under a v-neck garment;

FIG. 6C illustrates the cleavage cover worn under a bra;

FIG. 6D illustrates the cleavage cover worn under a different bra;

FIG. 6E illustrates the cleavage cover worn under another different bra;

FIGS. 7A to 7E illustrate various cleavage covers with embellishments;and

FIG. 8 illustrates the cleavage cover and its storage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a cleavage cover 20 that is used to covercleavage 44 (shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C) of a woman. The cleavagecover 20 is worn under an outer garment 46 (shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B) tocover the exposed cleavage 44.

The cleavage cover 20 covers the front of the chest and can be worn withbackless dresses and tops. The cleavage cover 20 is lightweight,breathable, washable and reusable. The cleavage cover 20 does not attachto a bra and can be worn with or without a bra. The cleavage cover 20can be easily applied to the skin of the woman while getting dressed oreasily removed while the woman is getting undressed and can also beapplied and removed while the woman is fully dressed. The cleavage cover20 can also be easily repositioned after the woman is fully dressed toassure that all areas intended to be covered are fully covered. The easeof wear, positioning and removal of the cleavage cover 20 makes it easyfor the woman to quickly customize an outer garment 46 to adapt todifferent situations. For example, the woman might want to wear thecleavage cover 20 while at work to cover her cleavage 44, but be able toquickly and easily remove the cleavage cover 20 once leaving the office.The cleavage cover 20 is available in up to 3 sizes that stretch foroptimum coverage (as every woman measures differently across the chest).

The cleavage cover 20 is a piece of fabric 22 that has an upper edge 24,a curved lower edge 26 and a width W extending between opposing ends 41and 43. A first curved section 28 and a second curved section aredefined proximate to the ends 41 and 43, respectively. The cleavagecover 20 has a front side 32 that is exposed when the cleavage cover 20is worn and a rear side 36 that contacts the woman's skin.

The upper edge 24 of the cleavage cover 20 is visible when worn under anouter garment 46 (shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B) and may have any shape. Forexample, the upper edge 24 can have a straight shape, a rounded shape, aheart shape, a triangular shape, an arcuate shape, or any other shape.

The curved lower edge 26 has an almost circular shape and isergonomically shaped to contour perfectly to a body of the woman toprevent the cleavage cover 20 from folding, flipping, rolling, wrinklingor shifting when the cleavage cover 20 is stretched, eliminating gapswhen worn. Though a specific shape is illustrated and described, thoseskilled in the art would recognize that the lower edge 26 could haveother shapes, such as square, rectangular, oblong, a non-uniform shape,or any shape. The cleavage cover 20 can be worn as high or low asdesired and to achieve the desired coverage of the cleavage 44.

The fabric 22 is laser cut to provide a seamless edge that makes thecleavage cover 20 indiscernible under the outer garment 46. The lasercut lower edge 24 and the lower cut upper edge 26 do not fray as thefibers of the fabric 22 are heat bonded together by the laser cuttingprocess. Therefore, stitching is not required, and the fabric 22 isseamless. The fabric 22 is made of a 2-way or 4-way stretch material fora comfortable gapless fit that allows the cleavage cover 20 to hugcloser to the skin with tension to improve coverage. In one example, thefabric 22 is a composition blend made of stretchable fibers. In oneexample, the fabric 22 is a lycra blend. A coating may also be appliedto the fabric 22 to prevent the fabric 22 from fraying or unravelingafter being cut. The fabric 22 is washable and lightweight.

Adhesive surfaces 36 and 38 are permanently attached on the rear side 34of the cleavage cover 20. In one example, the adhesive surfaces 36 and38 are located near the first curved section 28 and the second curvedsection 30, respectively. The adhesive surfaces 36 and 38 attach thecleavage cover 20 to the skin of the woman. In one example, the adhesivesurfaces 36 and 38 are a silicone gel adhesive. Silicone gel adhesive isa man-made polymeric material made up of silicone-polydimethyl siloxane.Its unique chemical composition results in a soft gel-like physicalform, and its hydrophobic properties ensure stable adhesion. Siliconegel adhesive bonds securely yet gently to skin for continuous long-termwear, but does not form a permanent bond to the skin. It is formulatedfor direct skin contact and reliably adheres to the skin. Upon removalfrom the skin, silicone gel adhesive does not lift skin cells or damageskin. It also does not leave an adhesive residue on the skin. Siliconegel adhesive has a very low surface tension and conforms to the unevensurface of the skin to fill in small gaps and provide a broader contactarea. It also does not lose adhesion when removed from the skin, so thesilicone gel adhesive can be reapplied and secured to the skin numeroustimes with proper care. The adhesive surfaces 36 and 38 should not comeinto contact with other fabrics to prevent the adhesive of lint o debrison the adhesive surfaces 36 and 38. However, silicone gel adhesive iswashable to remove any lint or debris that may become attached to theadhesive surfaces 36 and 38. In one example, the silicone gel adhesivecan be applied to the skin at least 50 times, allowing the cleavagecover 20 to be used up to 50 times or more.

Other example adhesives that can be used as the adhesive surfaces 36 and38 are acrylic, rubber-based adhesives (both natural rubber or syntheticrubber), silicone, an elastomer, or a pressure sensitive adhesive.

As shown in FIG. 2, in one example, the adhesive surfaces 36 and 38 areapplied as strips of material near the first curved section 28 and thesecond curved section 30, respectively. In one example, the adhesivesurfaces 36 and 38 are 0.5 inches wide and extend from the upper edge 24to the curved lower edge 26 of the cleavage cover 20 as a strip ofmaterial. The strips of material are substantially perpendicular to thewidth W of the fabric 22. Finger tab areas 40 and 42 located between theends 41 and 43 of the fabric 22 and the adhesive surfaces 36 and 38,respectively, are not covered with adhesive to provide the adhesive-freefinger tab areas 40 and 42 that can be grabbed by the woman withouttouching and compromising the adhesive surfaces 36 and 38. This allowsthe cleavage cover 20 to be applied to and removed from the skin withouttouching the adhesive. Therefore, the fingers only touch the fabric 22and not the adhesive surfaces 36 and 38.

The adhesive surfaces 36 and 38 may cover more or less area on thefabric 22 and can have other shapes, such as dots, triangles, circles,rectangles, squares, or any other shape. The adhesive surfaces 36 and 38are permanently adhered to the fabric 22 and are applied by themanufacturer prior to purchase of the cleavage cover 20 by the customer.Therefore, when the woman applies and removes the cleavage cover 20, shedoes not need to perform any steps to add an adhesive substance to orremove an adhesive substance from the fabric 22.

In addition to the adhesive surfaces 36 and 38 on the rear side 34 ofthe fabric 22, another adhesive surface (not shown), such as doublesided tape, may be applied on the front side 32 of the fabric 22. Thisallows the cleavage cover 20 to be secured to the outer garment 46. Thedoubled sided tape can be placed in a location as determined by thewoman.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fabric 22 is a two way stretch fabric 22. Thefabric 22 (having a width W) can be stretched to the position 22′(having a width W′) to provide a tighter more gapless fit. Alternately,the fabric 22 can be applied with the adhesive surfaces 36 and 38 closertogether for a looser fit. In one example, the cleavage cover 20 has alength of 8 inches and a height of 3.5 inches when unstretched. Thecleavage cover 20 can be stretched to have length of 9 inches or moredepending upon the stretchability of the fabric 22 used.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C illustrate exposed cleavage 44 when the cleavagecover 20 is not worn. FIG. 4A shows the exposed cleavage 44 when a crewneck garment 46 a is worn, FIG. 4B shows the exposed cleavage 44 when av-neck garment 46 b is worn, and FIG. 4C shows the exposed cleavage 44when a bra 48 is worn.

FIG. 5 illustrates placement of the cleavage cover 20 on the skin of thewoman to cover the cleavage 44 (not shown in FIG. 5). The cleavage cover20 can be placed anywhere on the upper chest area of the woman based onher preference. As shown, the cleavage 44 is covered by the cleavagecover 20. The skin should be free of oils, lotions, perfumes.

An outer garment 46 or bra 48 can then be worn over the cleavage cover20. FIGS. 6A and 6B show how the cleavage cover 20 covers the cleavage44 when worn with a crew neck garment 46 a and a v-neck garment 46 b,respectively. The garment 46 a and 46 b can be a dress, a shirt, ablouse, or any type of garment. FIGS. 6C, 6D and 6E show the cleavagecover 20 worn under different styles of bras 48.

FIGS. 7A to 7E illustrate exemplary embodiments of the cleavage cover 20with embellishments 50. Examples embellishments 50 include, but are notlimited to, lace, emblems, jewels, sequins, ruffles, an appliqué or anyother ornamental feature. The embellishments 50 may be located on anyvisible area of the cleavage cover 20. The cleavage cover 20 can also beof any color.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the cleavage cover 20 is not in use, the rearside 34 of the cleavage cover 20 is placed on a plastic sheet 52 suchthat the adhesive surfaces 36 and 38 contact the plastic sheet 52. Theplastic sheet 52 can then be rolled into a roll 54 and placed in alint/dust free protective tube 56 for storage. The cleavage cover 20 isstored on the plastic sheet 52 to protect the adhesive integrity of theadhesive surfaces 36 and 38.

The cleavage cover 20 is washable. The rear side 34 of the cleavagecover 20 is placed on the plastic sheet 52, ensuring that particles andlint do not attach to the adhesive surfaces 36 and 38 during washing. Ifthe adhesive surfaces 36 and 38 lose their tackiness, the adhesivesurfaces 36 and 38 can be gently washed with a lotion free soap andwater to help regain the adhesive qualities and extend the life of thecleavage cover 20. The cleavage cover 20 can then be rinsed withlukewarm water and allowed to air dry. The cleavage cover 20 can dryeither on or off the plastic sheet 52. After washing, the cleavage cover20 should be placed on the plastic sheet 52 as soon as possible toprotect the adhesive surfaces 36 and 38. Once the cleavage cover 20 isdry, the cleavage cover 20 is adhered the plastic sheet 52 is rolledinto the roll 54 and placed in the protective tube 56 for storage andprotection. The cleavage cover 20 does not need to be washed after eachuse.

The foregoing description is only exemplary of the principles of theinvention. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within thescope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwisethan using the example embodiments which have been specificallydescribed. For that reason the following claims should be studied todetermine the true scope and content of this invention.

1. A cleavage cover comprising: a piece of fabric having a first sideand an opposing second side; and an adhesive permanently attached to thefirst side of the piece of fabric to removably attach the piece offabric to skin of a wearer to conceal cleavage.
 2. The cleavage cover asrecited in claim 1 wherein the cleavage cover is worn under an outergarment.
 3. The cleavage cover as recited in claim 1 wherein the pieceof fabric has an upper edge and a lower edge, and the lower edge iscurved.
 4. The cleavage cover as recited in claim 1 wherein the piece offabric is stretchable.
 5. The cleavage cover as recited in claim 1wherein the piece of fabric is a lycra blend.
 6. The cleavage cover asrecited in claim 1 wherein edges of the piece of fabric are laser cut.7. The cleavage cover as recited in claim 1 wherein the adhesive is asilicone gel adhesive.
 8. The cleavage cover as recited in claim 1including a width extending between opposing ends, and areas between theopposing ends and the adhesive are free of the adhesive.
 9. The cleavagecover as recited in claim 8 wherein the adhesive is a strip of materialpositioned near each of the opposing ends of the cleavage cover, andeach of the strips of material is substantially perpendicular to thewidth of the cleavage cover.
 10. The cleavage cover as recited in claim1 wherein the first side is placed on a plastic sheet when not in use.11. The cleavage cover as recited in claim 10 wherein the plastic sheetis rolled into tube and placed in a container to store the cleavagecover.
 12. A cleavage cover comprising: a stretchable piece of fabrichaving a first side, an opposing second side, and a width that extendsbetween opposing ends; and a silicone gel adhesive permanently attachedto the first side of the stretchable piece of fabric to removably attachthe stretchable piece fabric to skin of a wearer to conceal cleavage,wherein areas between the opposing ends of the stretchable piece offabric and the silicone gel adhesive are free of the silicone geladhesive.
 13. The cleavage cover as recited in claim 12 wherein thecleavage cover is worn under an outer garment.
 14. The cleavage cover asrecited in claim 12 wherein the piece of fabric has an upper edge and alower edge, and the lower edge is curved.
 15. The cleavage cover asrecited in claim 12 wherein the piece of fabric is a lycra blend. 16.The cleavage cover as recited in claim 12 wherein edges of the piece offabric are laser cut.
 17. The cleavage cover as recited in claim 16wherein the adhesive is a strip of material positioned near each of theopposing ends of the cleavage cover, and each of the strips of materialis substantially perpendicular to the width of the cleavage cover. 18.The cleavage cover as recited in claim 12 wherein the first side isplaced on a plastic sheet when not in use.
 19. The cleavage cover asrecited in claim 18 wherein the plastic sheet is rolled into tube andplaced in a container to store the cleavage cover.